Touch sensor assembly

ABSTRACT

A touch sensor assembly includes a touch substrate attached to a rear surface of a panel having a touch point, a piezo disk having first and second poles stacked thereon, wherein the first pole is disposed on at least a central portion of a front surface thereof and aligned in a direction facing the touch substrate to be fixed to a rear surface of the touch substrate, a pressing tab flexibly provided on the touch substrate, electrically connected to the first pole upon being in contact with the first pole, and electrically connected to a plurality of wires provided on the touch substrate at a plurality of points, and a fixing surface electrically connected to the second pole while supporting the second pole such that the piezo disk is fixed to the rear surface of the touch substrate and electrically connected to second wires provided on the touch substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0080356, filed inKorea on Jun. 26, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present specification relates to a touch sensor assembly.

2. Background

Refrigerators may be classified into a top mount type refrigerator inwhich a freezing compartment is located above a refrigeratingcompartment, a bottom freezer type refrigerator in which a refrigeratingcompartment is located above a freezing compartment, and a side-by-sidetype refrigerator in which a refrigerating compartment and a freezingcompartment are respectively located at left and right sides, accordingto the configurations of the refrigerating compartment and the freezingcompartment, for example.

The side-by-side type refrigerator may be mainly used as a refrigeratorhaving a relatively large capacity and various functions, and mayinclude a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment which arevertically installed at the left and right sides of the refrigerator. Anevaporator may be provided on the rear surface of the freezingcompartment to suck air from the lower portions of the freezingcompartment and the refrigerating compartment and to discharge airupward, thereby circulating cool air in the compartments to perform therefrigerating function and the freezing function.

Refrigerator doors may be rotatably installed on a front surface of arefrigerator and may be exposed to a user when storage compartments areclosed. In consideration of the usage of the refrigerator, in which atime to keep the refrigerator door open is small during a day, the frontsurface of the door of the refrigerator may be decorated with a panelhaving various patterns or a front panel of the door may be made of aluxurious exterior material, in order to provide an aestheticallypleasing appearance.

Recently, users have shown a high preference for a material of homeappliances made of metal. When a display for confirming operationinformation of a refrigerator and buttons for operating the refrigeratorare installed on a front surface of a door of the refrigerator, theappearance of the refrigerator may be deteriorated.

In consideration of this, research into a door structure in whichdisplay information and buttons are not usually displayed and aredisplayed only when a user desires to view the display information andthe buttons is actively being conducted. It may be difficult to apply anelectrostatic touch method to a door having a front panel made of ametal material. In addition, since the metal material itself has certainrigidity, it may not be easy to implement a static-pressure type touchmethod. In particular, it may be difficult to implement a hidden buttonon a panel made of a metal material using a conventional touch sensingmethod.

Accordingly, there is a need to develop a sensor capable of reliablyrecognizing a touch operation even in a panel made of a metal material.Such a sensor may be applicable not only to a front panel of arefrigerator door but also to various home appliances having a metalpanel and capable of applying a hidden button for performing a touchoperation to the metal panel and thus may be widely used in variousfields.

In the above-described metal touch sensor, when force applied upon touchis large or the number of times of pressing a button is increased, apressing portion and the periphery thereof may be damaged with time.However, in the related art, there is no countermeasure against suchdamage and thus a pattern connecting an electric signal cannot beprevented from being disconnected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the followingdrawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, andwherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front surface of a refrigerator, to which a touchsensor assembly is applied;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a door portion of the refrigeratorof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view of the refrigerator ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the touch sensor assemblyshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion A of the touch substrate shownin FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view and a rear view showing the other embodiments ofthe portion of the touch substrate shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view and a side view of a portion B which is oneof the piezo disks shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion C which is one of holders shownin FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a piezo disk installation portion ofthe touch sensor assembly when viewed in an X-X direction of FIG. 2 in astate of assembling the touch sensor assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which the touch substrate,the holder and the piezo disk of the touch sensor assembly of FIG. 4 areassembled; and

FIG. 11 is a rear view of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a front surface of a refrigerator, to which a touchsensor assembly is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a doorportion of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a partial explodedperspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, theappearance of the refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment may bedefined by a cabinet that provides a storage space and refrigeratordoors 10 installed on the cabinet to open and close the storage space.The storage space provided by the cabinet may be partitioned into leftand right sides and/or upper and lower sides, and a plurality ofrefrigerator doors 10 for opening and closing the storage space isprovided on a front surface of the partitioned storage space. The doors10 may open and close the storage space in a sliding or rotation mannerand the doors configure the front appearance of the refrigerator in astate of closing the doors.

On a door 10, which corresponds to an eye level of a user having anaverage height, of the plurality of refrigerator doors 10, a displayregion 11 and a touch region 22 may be provided at a height where a usercan easily identify or operate the regions. The display region 11 maydisplay the operation state of the refrigerator 1 to the outside and maydisplay symbols or numerals as light irradiated from an internal spaceof the door 10 is transmitted (see FIG. 2), such that the user can checkthe operation information of the refrigerator.

When light is not irradiated from the internal space of the door, thedisplay region 11 may not be displayed (see FIG. 1). In this state, thedisplay region 11 may not be visible in the door 10, therebyimplementing a clear appearance.

The touch region 22 may be used for a user to perform a touch operationfor operating the refrigerator 1 and may be provided near the displayregion 11. A plurality of touch points 21 may be provided in the touchregion 22. When the user presses a touch point 21, an operationcorresponding thereto may be performed. The touch points 21 may bedisplayed to be recognized by the user by a printing process or asurface processing method such as etching.

Of course, the touch region 22 may not be installed on the same door 10as the display region 11 and may be installed on another door 10 or onone side of a cabinet. In addition, the touch points 21 may not bedisplayed so as to be always identified and the positions thereof may ormay not be recognized depending on whether light is irradiated from theinside of the door or not, as in the display region 11.

A front panel 20 may be made of a metal plate such as a steel orstainless steel plate. A touch sensor assembly 100 may be fixed to arear surface of a portion corresponding to the touch region 22 of thefront panel 20. A support structure (or support) 30 may be installedinside a door liner 40 fastened to the rear side of the front panel 20,in order to increase adhesive strength between the touch sensor assembly100 and the front panel 20. When the front panel 20 and the door liner40 are fastened in a state of fixing the touch sensor assembly 100 tothe rear surface of the front panel 20, the support structure 30installed on the door liner 40 may press the rear surface of the touchsensor assembly 100 to support the touch sensor assembly 100 forward.

In addition, by fastening the front panel 20 and the door liner 40 whenthe touch sensor assembly 100 is fixed to the front surface of thesupport structure 30, the front surface of the touch sensor assembly 100may be adhered to the rear surface of the front panel 20. In addition,it should be understood that various supporting methods including amethod of assembling the front panel 20 and the door liner 40 to supportthe touch sensor assembly 100 toward the front panel 20 are possible.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the touch sensor assemblyshown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion A of the touchsubstrate shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a front view and a rear viewshowing the other embodiments of the portion of the touch substrateshown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is an enlarged view and a side view of a portionB which is one of the piezo disks shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is an enlargedview of a portion C which is one of holders shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 9 is across-sectional view of a piezo disk installation portion of the touchsensor assembly when viewed in an X-X direction of FIG. 2 in a state ofassembling the touch sensor assembly of FIG. 4, FIG. 10 is a front viewshowing a state in which the touch substrate, the holder and the piezodisk of the touch sensor assembly of FIG. 4 are assembled, and FIG. 11is a rear view of FIG. 10. Hereinafter, the overall structure of thetouch sensor assembly and the structures of the individual componentsconfiguring the touch sensor assembly will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 4 to 11.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 9, in the touch sensor assembly 100, a touchsubstrate 120 and a guide substrate 160 may be stacked and coupled toeach other by a second adhesive member 150, thereby forming an overallappearance. The touch substrate and the guide substrate may be made of aprinted circuit board (PCB) having a certain thickness. However, theguide substrate may not be made of a PCB and may be made of syntheticresin having the same shape; for example, a plastic injected part.

A holder 140 fixed to the touch substrate 120 and a piezo disk 130inserted into the holder 140 may be received in a reception hole 162 ofthe guide substrate 160. That is, the guide substrate 160 may functionas a part of the body of the touch sensor assembly 100 while definingthe overall appearance and function as a part of a housing that receivesvarious components installed in the touch sensor assembly. Accordingly,the material and molding method of the guide substrate 160 may bevariously changed according to the function of the guide substrate 160.

A first adhesive member 110 such as a double-sided adhesive tape may beadhered to an outer surface, that is, the opposite surface of thesurface on which the guide substrate is stacked, of the touch substrate120 to be water-tight with respect to the touch substrate 120 and thestructure stacked thereon and the outer surface of the touch substrate120 may be attached to the rear surface of the front panel 20 of therefrigerator door. A third adhesive member 170 made of P.E.T. may beattached to the outer surface, that is, the opposite surface of thesurface on which the touch substrate is stacked, of the guide substrate160 to be water-tight with respect to the guide substrate 160 and thestructure stacked thereon.

The touch substrate 120 may correspond to the touch region 22 includingthe plurality of touch points 21 provided on the front panel 20configuring the door 10 of the refrigerator 1. In an embodiment, theplurality of touch points 21 may be arranged on the front panel 20 to bespaced apart from each other in a line and the touch region 22 may beformed in an elongated rectangular shape (see FIGS. 1 to 3).Accordingly, the touch substrate 120 may be formed in an elongatedrectangular shape.

Referring to FIG. 5, a hole 122 may be provided in the touch substrate120 at a position corresponding to the touch point 21 of the front panel20. In the embodiment, the hole may be substantially rectangular but theshape of the hole is not limited thereto. The center of the hole 122 maybe aligned with the center of the touch point 21 of the front panel 20.

A plurality of leg parts (or legs) 124 that extend from an innercircumferential surface to the center of the hole may be provided in theinner circumferential surface of the hole 122. A pressing part or tab126 aligned with the center of the hole may be connected to the frontends of the leg parts 124. The shape of the pressing part 126 maycorrespond to that of a piezo disk and the size thereof may be slightlyless than that of the piezo disk. The piezo disk and the circularpressing part 126 corresponding thereto are shown. The pressing part 126and the inner circumferential surface of the hole 122 having arectangular shape may be connected to each other by the plurality of legparts 124 extending from the center of each side of the rectangle to thepressing part 126.

The structure in which the hole 122 is provided in the touch substrate120 and the pressing part 126 provided at the center of the hole isconnected by the plurality of leg parts 124 may make the pressing part126 flexible. That is, when the user presses the touch point 21 of thefront panel, the pressing force may be applied to the pressing part 126.Since the pressing part 126 is connected to the main body of the touchsubstrate 120 through the plurality of relatively thin leg parts 124,the pressing part 126 may be pressed by the pressing force of the user.

Accordingly, the structure in which the pressing part 126 is provided atthe center of the hole 122 through the four leg parts 124 may bevariously changed if the pressing part 126 is easily moved according tothe touch pressure of the user and may have sufficient durabilityagainst repeated pressing operations. As a modification of theembodiment (see FIGS. 5 and 6(a)) in which the four leg parts areprovided at an interval of 90°, a structure in which three leg parts areprovided at an interval of 90° as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, a cantileverstructure in which only two leg parts are provided at an interval of 90°as shown in (c) of FIG. 6 or a straight type structure in which only twoleg parts are provided at an interval of 180° as shown in (d) of FIG. 6is applicable. In particular, since the cantilever structure is deformedso as to be more conformable to the touch pressure of the user, it ispossible to further increase touch sensitivity.

As shown in FIG. 5, fixing surfaces (or fixing portions) 128 which fixthe fixing leg parts 148 of the holder 140 may be provided in thevicinity of the hole 122. Although the fixing surfaces 128 protrudingtoward the inside of the hole 122 in a substantially rectangular shapeare provided in the embodiment, the positions of the fixing surfaces isnot limited thereto.

Since the touch substrate 120 according to the first embodiment isformed in an elongated rectangular shape and the long side of the hole122 having the rectangular shape is aligned in a direction correspondingto the longitudinal direction of the touch substrate, the touchsubstrate 120 may become slimmer. In addition, since the fixing surfaces128 are provided at the short sides of the hole 122, an insertion hole141 of the holder 140 may be opened toward the side surface of the touchsubstrate 120 and thus the piezo disk 130 may be more easily inserted.

The hole 122, the plurality of leg parts 124, the pressing part 126, andthe fixing surface 128 may be simultaneously formed in the touchsubstrate 120, by punching the hole portion of the touch substrateexcept for the leg parts 124, the pressing part 126 and the fixingsurface 128.

The touch substrate 120 may include electrical wirings, one of which isa first wiring or wire 1201 that passes through the pressing part 126and the plurality of leg parts 124 and the other of which is a secondwiring or wire 1202 connected to the fixing surface, in order todetermine whether pressure is applied to the piezo disk. That is, whenpressure is applied to the piezo disk to generate a potentialdifference, electromotive force may be sensed through the wirings.

A plurality of first wirings 1201 may be provided. In addition, aplurality of second wirings 1202 may be provided. Accordingly, theplurality of leg parts 124, through which the first wirings 1201 pass,and the plurality of fixing surfaces 128, to which the second wirings1202 are connected, may be provided.

The plurality of first wirings 1201 may be provided, such that theplurality of first wirings 1201 passes through one leg part 124 or onlyone first wiring 1201 passes through one leg part 124. In addition, theplurality of first wirings 1201 may be connected to a plurality ofpoints of the pressing part 126.

For example, the number of leg parts 124 may be four and the number offirst wirings 1201 may be four such that the first wirings correspond tothe leg parts. In general, if force momentarily applied to the pressingpart 126 is large or if the number of times of pressing the pressingpart 126 is increased, the leg parts 124 supporting the pressing part126 may be damaged. In addition, when the leg parts 124 are damaged, thefirst wirings 1201 passing through the leg parts 124 may be broken.

It may be difficult to prepare for damage of the leg parts 124 andbreaking of the first wirings 1201. However, since the plurality of legparts 124 supporting the pressing part 126 is provided and the pluralityof first wirings 1201 passing through the leg parts 124 is provided,even when any one of the plurality of leg parts 124 is damaged or anyone of the plurality of first wirings 1201 is broken, the pressing part126 may be supported by the other leg parts 124 which may not be damagedand the electrical signal may be transmitted to the touch substrate 120or a wafer 180 or a connector by the other first wirings 1201 which arenot broken.

In addition, the pressing part 126, the leg parts 124 and the firstwirings 1201 that pass through the leg parts 124 may have improveddurability and an enhanced structure. The leg parts 124 may have acurved shape and thus a load supported thereby may be greater than aload supported by leg parts 124 having a straight shape.

Specifically, when the leg parts 124 are formed in the curved shape,elastic deformation may be easy, fatigue strength may be increased, andflexibility may be secured, such that the leg parts 124 are not easilybroken even when the leg parts 124 are repeatedly used. That is, if theleg parts 124 are formed in a curved line (arch shape), even if forcemomentarily applied to the pressing part 126 is large or if the numberof times of pressing the pressing part 126 is increased, the possibilityof damaging the leg parts may be reduced as compared to the straight legparts. Since the first wirings 1201 passing through the leg parts 124are formed in a curved shape, the possibility of breaking the firstwirings may be reduced similarly to the leg parts 124.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 9, the guide substrate 160 may be an injectedpart having the touch substrate 120 stacked thereon with the secondadhesive member 150 interposed therebetween. The second adhesive member150 may be a double-sided adhesive tape adhered to the two substrates120 and 160.

The guide substrate 160 may have the shape of a rectangular flat plateto correspond to the touch substrate 120 and reception holes 162 may beprovided at positions corresponding to the holes 122 of the touchsubstrate 120. The reception hole 162 may have an area capable ofreceiving at least the holder 140 and the piezo disk 130 received in theholder 140 and the thickness of the guide substrate 160 may be equal toor slightly greater than the height of the holder 140. Accordingly, whenthe holder 140 is received in the reception hole 162, the holder may notprotrude from the surface of the guide substrate 160.

Since the holder 140 may be installed in the hole portion of the touchsubstrate 120, the second adhesive member 150 may include through-holes152 having positions and shapes corresponding to positions and shapes ofthe reception holes 162 of the guide substrate 160.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 8 and 9, the holder 140 may be fixed to theportion of the hole 122 of the touch substrate 120. When the holder 140is fixed to the touch substrate 120, the piezo disk may be inserted intoand fixed in a space provided by the holder and the touch substrate.

The holder 140 may include a rear support part (or rear support) 142substantially covering the portion of the hole 122 of the touchsubstrate and having a rectangular shape. For reference, although theshape of the rear support part 142 may be substantially square, forconvenience, the shape of the rear support part 142 is described asbeing a rectangular shape in correspondence with the rectangular hole122 of the touch substrate 120. When the holder is fixed to the touchsubstrate, the rear support part 142 may be spaced apart from thesurface of the touch substrate by a predetermined gap.

The gap between the rear support part 142 and the surface of the touchsubstrate may be defined by side support parts 146 bent on the outeredge of the rear support part at a substantially right angle. Fixing legparts (or fixing tabs) 148 fixed to the fixing surfaces 128 of the touchsubstrate 120 through soldering may be provided on the ends of the sidesupport parts 146. The fixing leg parts 148 may be electricallyconnected to the fixing surfaces 128 through soldering.

In some the embodiments, a total of four fixing surfaces 128 of thetouch substrate may be provided at the short side portions of therectangular hole 122 and four fixing leg parts 148 may be provided atpositions corresponding to the fixing surfaces. Each fixing leg part 148may be formed in a planar shape to be in contact with the fixing surface128, and a via hole 149 may be formed in an end of the fixing leg partin order to increase soldering adhesion with the fixing surface 128. Thefixing leg parts 148 may be arranged in the longitudinal direction ofthe touch substrate 120, such that the insertion hole 141 of the holderis opened toward the lateral side (that is, the direction perpendicularto the longitudinal direction) of the touch substrate 120, thereby moreeasily inserting the piezo disk.

The side support parts 146 may be bent at a right angle on two shortsides and one long side among the four sides of the rectangular rearsupport part 142. The side support parts 146 may prevent the piezo disk130 from being separated from the holder 140 in a process of supportingand assembling the side surface of the piezo disk 130 to be insertedinto the holder 140. The fixing leg parts 148 may be provided at theportions of the side support parts 146 where the two short sides of therear support part 142 are bent. The long side, on which the side supportpart 146 is not provided, of the rear support part 142 may become theinsertion hole 141, through which the piezo disk 130 is inserted. Anarc-shaped guide groove 147 that guides the end of the disk toward theinsertion hole 141 upon inserting the piezo disk 130 having the circularplate may be provided in the long side portion, which may become theinsertion hole 141, of the side support part 146.

The rear support part 142 may become a portion that supports the rearsurface 134 of the piezo disk 130. Pressing projections 143 pressing andsupporting the edges of the rear surface of the piezo disk 130 may beprovided in the vicinities of the outer edges of the rear support part142. The pressing projections 143 may be provided at positions deviatingfrom a first pole 136 provided on the front surface of the piezo disk130.

The portion of the first pole 136 provided at the central part of thefront surface 132 of the piezo disk 130 may slightly protrude from thefront surface of the piezo disk. Such a first pole portion may be incontact with the pressing part 126 of the touch substrate and may bepressed and supported by the touch substrate. Accordingly, when thepressing projections 143 are provided at the positions deviating fromthe first pole 136 provided on the front surface of the piezo disk 130,the pressing part 126, which may be flexibly moved by the leg parts 124of the touch substrate 120 to some extent, may press the first pole 136protruding from the front surface 132 of the piezo disk 130 and thepressing projections 143 of the holder 140 may press the edges of therear surface 134 of the piezo disk 130 deviating from the first pole136, thereby tightly supporting the piezo disk 130 while minimizing theload applied to a portion where the potential difference of the piezodisk 130 is generated.

In addition, slits 144 having an arc shape may be provided around thecentral point of the rear support part 142 of the holder. Such slits 144may be provided inside the pressing projections 143. The slits 144 mayfacilitate deformation of the vicinities of the slits. Accordingly, thecentral portion of the rear support part may be deformed according todeformation of the central portion of the rear surface of the piezo disk130 which may be finely bent toward the rear surface by the pressingpart 126 and the pressing projections 143. The same may be true evenwhen the user presses the touch point 21 of the front panel.

The holder 140 may be made of a conductive material such as metal, and aplanar metal plate may be subjected to press processing or piercing toeasily form the pressing projections, the slits, the side support part,etc. The holder 140 may be electrically connected to the second wirings1202 through the fixing surface 128.

Referring to FIG. 7, the piezo disk 130 may include a second pole 138 ofa metal plate having a front surface 132 and a rear surface 134 and afirst pole 136 stacked on the central portion of the front surface 132.The first pole 136 may slightly protrude from the surface of the secondpole 138 at a central portion thereof. The first pole 136 may be made ofceramic and the second pole 138 may be made of a conductive materialsuch as metal. In addition, a conductive layer 1361 such as silver (Ag)may be coated on the surface of the first pole 136.

The piezo disk 130 may be a circular plate and the diameter thereof maybe equal to or slightly less than a gap between the two side supportparts where the two short sides of the rear support part of the holderare bent. The piezo disk 130 may be inserted between the touch substrate120 and the holder 140 fixed to the touch substrate 120 and the guidegroove 147 may guide insertion of the piezo disk 130 upon inserting thepiezo disk. When the piezo disk 130 is inserted, the front surface 132,on which the first pole 136 is provided, may face the touch substrate120 and the rear surface 134 may face the holder.

When pressure is applied between the first pole and the second pole ofthe piezo disk 130, a potential difference may be generated between thefirst pole and the second pole. According to the principle of the piezodisk 130, the wiring surface of the pressing part 126 of the touchsubstrate 120 which is in contact with the first pole 136 of the frontsurface 132 may be exposed to be electrically connected to the firstpole, and the wirings 1201 may not be exposed so as not to be energizedeven when the leg part 124 of the touch substrate 120 is in contact withthe second pole 138.

In addition, the wiring surface of the pressing part 126 may include aconnection material or layer 1261 made of copper or gold and theplurality of first wirings 1201 may be electrically connected to theconnection material 1261. The holder 140 may be made of a metal materialhaving electrical conductivity and may be electrically connected to thesecond pole 138 of the rear surface 134. Since the connection materialexposed to the pressing part 126 may be corroded over time, a solder maybe thinly coated on the exposed wiring surface. Such a connectionmaterial may be exposed to the fixing surface but the fixing surface maybe soldered to the fixing leg part 148 of the holder. Therefore, it maybe possible to omit apply the solder.

The first wirings 1201 of the pressing part 126 may be connected to thetouch substrate 120 through the leg parts 124 to be connected to thewafer 180 and the fixing surface 128 of the touch substrate soldered tothe fixing leg parts 148 of the holder 140 may be connected to the touchsubstrate 120 through the second wirings 1202 to be connected to thewafer 180.

Accordingly, when the user presses the touch point 21, the pressing part126 may be pressed with predetermined force F to press the piezo disk130. At this time, since the pressing part 126 presses the centralportion of the front surface 132 of the piezo disk and the pressingprojections 143 of the holder 140 supports the edges of the rear surface134 of the disk, the piezo disk 130 may be deformed by the moment M anda potential difference may be generated between the first pole 136 andthe second pole 138. Minute current according to electromotive forcegenerated by this process may be transmitted through the wirings of thetouch substrate and the wafer 180 to recognize that the touch point 21is touched. A plurality of piezo disks may be installed on the touchsubstrate. The wafer 180 that provides electrical connection with thepiezo disk of the touch sensor assembly may be provided outside thetouch sensor assembly.

Referring to FIG. 4, the wafer 180 may be installed on the touchsubstrate 120. According to the embodiments, the wafer 180 may beinstalled in a space between the holes of the touch substrate 120 onwhich the piezo disks 130 are installed and may be installed on the samesurfaces as the surface, on which the holders 140 are fixed, of thetouch substrate.

In order to receive the wafer 180, an opening hole 164 may be providedin the guide substrate 160. The opening hole 164 may be opened at a sidesurface of the guide substrate 160 and an opening hole 154 may beprovided at a corresponding position of the second adhesive member 150in correspondence with the shape of the opening hole 164. In addition,an opening hole 174 may also be provided in the third adhesive member170 in correspondence with the opening hole 164. A connector fitted inthe wafer 180 may approach the wafer 180 in the direction of the openinghole and may be fastened to the wafer 180.

Hereinafter, the order of assembling the touch sensor assembly will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. First, the holder 140 may besoldered and fixed to the rear surface (the opposite surface of thesurface facing the front panel) of the touch substrate 120. Then, thewafer 180 may be installed by an automated process.

Next, the piezo disk 130 may be inserted between the holder 140 and thetouch substrate 120. Since insertion of the piezo disk is guided by theguide groove 147 when the piezo disk 130 is inserted, it may be possibleto more easily insert the piezo disk. In addition, since the piezo disk130 is circular but the side surface support 146 of the holder 140substantially corresponds to the side of the rectangle, when only an endof the piezo disk 130 is inserted into the insertion part and the piezodisk is pressed from behind, the circular edge of the piezo disk 130 mayguide the piezo disk 130 such that the piezo disk is naturally alignedand inserted into the holder.

In particular, according to the embodiments, since the touch substrate120 has an elongated rectangular shape, the long sides of therectangular holes 122 may be aligned in a direction corresponding to thelongitudinal direction of the touch substrate, and the insertion partsof the holders 140 may be provided in correspondence with the long sidesof the holes, it may be possible to insert the piezo disks 130 into theholders 140 at the side surface of the touch substrate 120. Therefore,insertion is more easily performed.

The front surface and the rear surface of the touch portions of thetouch sensor assembly in a semi-assembled state in which the holder 140is fixed to the touch substrate 120 and the piezo disk 130 is insertedare shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, respectively. Next, the touch substrate120 and the guide substrate 160 may be stacked with the second adhesivemember 150 interposed therebetween, the first adhesive member 110 may bestacked on the front surface (the surface facing the front panel) of thetouch substrate 120, and the third adhesive member 170 may be stacked onthe rear surface of the guide substrate 160. This may be performedthrough an automated process.

The first adhesive member 110 may be stacked in a state of attaching arelease paper to the surface thereof and removing the release paper whenthe touch sensor assembly 100 is attached to the front panel 20 of therefrigerator door 10, thereby preventing the adhesive strength of thesurface of the first adhesive member 110 from being deteriorated.

In the above-described embodiments, the structure of the touch sensorassembly of the refrigerator and the method of manufacturing the samehave been described. However, the above-described touch sensor assemblyis applicable to various fields such as vehicle door panels, includingthe other types of home appliances, in addition to the refrigerator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensor assemblyhaving a small number of parts, a simple manufacturing method and hightouch operation sensing reliability. Another object of the presentinvention is to provide a touch sensor assembly capable of preventing apattern connecting an electrical signal from being disconnected due torepeated use and fatigue accumulation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensorassembly capable of operating even when any one pattern is disconnected.Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensorassembly capable of preventing failure which occurs when a patternconnecting an electrical signal is disconnected and increasing thelifespan of a product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensorassembly capable of reducing possibility of damage by forming a line,through which a pattern connecting an electrical signal passes, in theform of a curved line to increase a withstanding load as compared to astraight line. Another object of the present invention is to provide atouch sensor assembly having high touch operation sensitivity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensorassembly having robustness and high durability. Another object of thepresent invention is to provide a touch sensor assembly having a highdegree of freedom in design.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensorassembly which can be easily and manually manufactured and can beautomated. Another object of the present invention is to provide a touchsensor assembly which can be robustly assembled and can increase touchoperation sensing reliability.

A touch sensor assembly may include a touch substrate attached to a rearsurface of a panel having a touch point, a piezo disk having first andsecond poles stacked thereon, wherein the first pole is disposed on atleast a central portion of a front surface thereof and aligned in adirection facing the touch substrate to be fixed to a rear surface ofthe touch substrate, a pressing part flexibly provided on the touchsubstrate, electrically connected to the first pole upon being incontact with the first pole, and electrically connected to a pluralityof wirings provided on the touch substrate at a plurality of points, anda fixing surface electrically connected to the second pole whilesupporting the second pole such that the piezo disk is fixed to the rearsurface of the touch substrate and electrically connected to secondwirings provided on the touch substrate. Accordingly, it is possible toprevent a pattern connecting an electrical signal from being broken byrepeated use and fatigue accumulation and to perform operation even whenany one pattern is broken.

In addition, a hole may be provided at a position of the touch substratecorresponding to the touch point, and the pressing part may be connectedto the ends of a plurality of leg parts extending from innercircumferential surface of the hole to a central portion of the hole. Inaddition, the plurality of first wirings may be electrically connectedto the pressing part through the leg parts.

In addition, the leg parts may be radially provided around the pressingpart. In addition, the leg parts and the first wirings passing throughthe leg parts may be formed in a curved shape. In addition, a holder forproviding fixing force for fixing the piezo disk to the rear surface ofthe touch substrate by supporting a side surface and a rear surface ofthe piezo disk may be fixed to the fixing surface.

In addition, the holder may be made of a conductive material, and thesecond pole of the piezo disk may be electrically connected to thefixing surface. In addition, the holder may include a rear support partsupporting a rear surface of the piezo disk, a side support partextending from an edge of the rear support part toward the touchsubstrate to support the side surface of the piezo disk, and a fixingleg part extending from the side support part outwardly in a directionparallel to a plane including the touch substrate to be fixed to thefixing surface of the touch substrate.

In addition, an insertion hole opened to insert the piezo disk may beformed in one side of the rear support part. In addition, a guide grooverecessed inward may be provided in an edge of the rear support partincluding the insertion hole in order to guide insertion of the piezodisk.

In addition, pressing projections protruding forwardly to press the rearsurface of the piezo disk forwardly may be provided on the rear supportpart, and the pressing projections may press edges of the rear surfaceof the piezo disk. In addition, a first adhesive member for providingadhesive strength to adhere the touch substrate to the rear surface ofthe panel may be stacked on a front surface of the touch substrate.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplaryembodiments, and it will be understood that various modifications may bemade by those skilled in the art. In addition, although the operationand effect according to the configuration of the present invention havenot been explicitly described while describing the embodiments of thepresent invention, it is needless to say that a predictable effect isalso recognized by the configuration.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on” another element or layer, the element or layer can bedirectly on another element or layer or intervening elements or layers.In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on”another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layerspresent. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These termsare only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer or section could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “lower”, “upper” and the like, may beused herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of oneelement or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated inthe figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms areintended to encompass different orientations of the device in use oroperation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. Forexample, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements describedas “lower” relative to other elements or features would then be oriented“upper” relative the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplaryterm “lower” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Thedevice may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used hereininterpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Embodiments of the disclosure are described herein with reference tocross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations ofidealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the disclosure.As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result,for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, embodiments of the disclosure should not be construed aslimited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but areto include deviations in shapes that result, for example, frommanufacturing.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances ofsuch phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection withany embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of oneskilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A touch sensor assembly comprising: a guidesubstrate having at least one reception hole formed therein; a touchsubstrate attached to a rear surface of a panel, the touch substratehaving at least one touch point; a piezo disk having a first pole and asecond pole stacked thereon, the first pole provided on at least acentral portion of a front surface of the piezo disk and fixed to a rearsurface of the touch substrate; a pressing tab flexibly provided on thetouch substrate, configured to be electrically connected to the firstpole upon contact with the first pole, and electrically connected to aplurality of first wires provided on the touch substrate at a pluralityof points; and a fixing portion electrically connected to the secondpole while supporting the second pole such that the piezo disk is fixedto the rear surface of the touch substrate and electrically connected toa plurality of second wires provided on the touch substrate.
 2. Thetouch sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein a hole is providedin the touch substrate at a position corresponding to the touch point,and wherein the pressing tab is connected to a plurality of legs thatextend from an inner circumferential surface of the hole to a centralportion of the hole.
 3. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 2,wherein the plurality of first wires is electrically connected to thepressing tab through at least two of the plurality of legs.
 4. The touchsensor assembly according to claim 2, wherein the legs are radiallyprovided around the pressing tab.
 5. The touch sensor assembly accordingto claim 2, wherein the legs are provided asymmetrically around thepressing tab.
 6. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 2, whereinthe legs and the plurality of first wires that pass through the legs areformed in a curved shape.
 7. The touch sensor assembly according toclaim 1, further comprising a holder that fixes the piezo disk to a rearsurface of the touch substrate by supporting a side surface and a rearsurface of the piezo disk, wherein the holder is fixed to the fixingportion.
 8. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 7, wherein theholder is made of a conductive material, and wherein the second pole ofthe piezo disk is electrically connected to the fixing portion.
 9. Thetouch sensor assembly according to claim 7, wherein the holder includes:a rear support that supports a rear surface of the piezo disk; a sidesupport that extends from an edge of the rear support toward the touchsubstrate to support a side surface of the piezo disk; and a fixing legthat extends from the side support outwardly in a direction parallel toa plane including the touch substrate to be fixed to the fixing portionof the touch substrate.
 10. The touch sensor assembly according to claim9, wherein the rear support includes an insertion hole into which thepiezo disk is inserted, the insertion hole being formed at one side ofthe rear support.
 11. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 10,wherein the rear support further includes a guide groove recessed inwardfrom an edge of the rear support to guide insertion of the piezo disk.12. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 10, wherein theinsertion hole is formed toward an outside of the touch substrate. 13.The touch sensor assembly according to claim 9, wherein the rear supportfurther includes pressing projections that protrude toward the touchsubstrate to press the rear surface of the piezo disk toward the touchsubstrate, and wherein the pressing projections press edges of the rearsurface of the piezo disk.
 14. The touch sensor assembly according toclaim 9, wherein slits are formed around a center of the rear support.15. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 1, further including afirst adhesive member that adheres the touch substrate to the rearsurface of the panel, wherein the first adhesive member is stacked on afront surface of the touch substrate.
 16. A touch sensor assembly,including: a guide substrate having at least one first through-hole; atouch substrate having a first surface adhered to a first surface of theguide substrate and having at least one second through-hole thatcorresponds to the at least one first through-hole; at least one holderattached to the first surface of the touch substrate and correspondingto the at least one first through hole; and at least one piezo diskhaving a first pole and a second pole and configured to be held betweenthe at least one holder and the touch substrate and aligned with the atleast one second through-hole, the at least one piezo disk beingconfigured to convert a touch input from the touch substrate into anelectrical signal, wherein the touch substrate includes a pressing tabarranged at a central portion of the at least one second through-hole,the pressing tab being attached to the touch substrate by at least oneleg that allows a movement of the pressing tab to press the at least onepiezo disk in response to the touch input.
 17. The touch sensor assemblyaccording to claim 16, wherein the at least one holder includes aplurality of fixing legs that connect the at least one holder to thetouch substrate.
 18. The touch sensor assembly according to claim 16,further including at least one first wire that passes through the atleast one leg and the pressing tab, and at least one second wire that iselectrically connected to the at least one holder.
 19. The touch sensorassembly according to claim 16, wherein the at least one leg is curvedwith respect to a first direction that is parallel to the first surfaceof the touch substrate.
 20. The touch sensor assembly according to claim16, wherein the at least one holder is made of a conductive material,and wherein the second pole of the at least one piezo disk iselectrically connected to the touch substrate.